This #NowPlaying discovery comes to us from this year's Tiny Desk Contest. You can see Freakquencee on the latest installment of the Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf livestreaming series with guest host Tobe Nwigwe.
If you listen closely to the beginning of "Running," you'll hear drummer Diamond Anderson and bassist Eriq Robinson produce a sound akin to a heartbeat. That was an intentional choice, Keiona Josey, who goes by Freakquencee, tells NPR to demonstrate the New Jersey artist trying to escape her problems. "I wanted my audience to get the feeling that not only was I running, but I was being chased by something," she says. "Chased by trauma, chased by things in my life that were hard for me to face." Accompanied by singer Kamilah's radiant backing vocals, Josey's dynamic breath control creates an intense, captivating performance that enthralls listeners until the track's final, haunting exhales.
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